Volume One: Who Can Match the Heroes of the World?

Chapter One: Emerging Like a Comet

Brian Carter cursed angrily.

These shameless bastards eat my food, drink my drinks, take my things, and in the end still won’t give me a definite answer. Don’t they realize how hard it is for me? And now, great, it’s going to end up as a bidding process after all! If they’d said so earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered wasting so much effort and money. These people are like wolves that don’t even spit out the bones!

As soon as he stepped out of the bar, Brian Carter felt the power of the autumn heat. The stuffy, humid air by the river seemed to shrink his nostrils, and thick dark clouds hung over the riverside, signaling that a thunderstorm was about to break.

“Crack, crack, crack”—he had barely made it onto the street when big raindrops began to fall. Glancing at both sides of the road and seeing no sign of a taxi, Brian Carter muttered a curse under his breath and had no choice but to turn and run back. It looked like he was going to get soaked.

He had just managed to turn the corner when a torrential downpour suddenly came crashing down, shrouding the entire street in a white mist of rain.

Not far ahead was the bar he had just left. This riverside bar was always busy because of its river view; the wide expanse of water could be seen at a glance. As the rain poured down in sheets, Brian Carter didn’t notice the twisted vortex of air forming over the river, swirling rapidly along the surface.

Focused only on running, Brian Carter barely made it onto the riverside sidewalk when he suddenly felt the wind around him pick up, the rain lashing his body with unusual force. Just as he was wondering about it, a surging gust of air slammed straight into him. In a daze, Brian Carter felt his body suddenly become weightless, as if he were soaring straight up into the sky.

“Damn it!” The terrified Brian Carter didn’t need to guess to know he’d run into a tornado. Every summer, there were always one or two of these freak weather events by the river, and people sometimes witnessed them. He just never thought he’d be the one caught in it. He could only hope he’d land safely. If he survived, he’d definitely go to a temple to burn incense and pray to Buddha. That was probably Brian Carter’s last wish before he lost consciousness.

……

“You can’t get away, kid! If you surrender now, I guarantee you’ll be treated with dignity!” The burly man, with an ordinary face but an icy tone, crouched halfway down in a cat-like stance, gripping a jagged sword that gleamed coldly in his hand. His eyes were like torches, locked firmly on his target.

A little over three meters away, another young man dressed the same—black clothes, thin pants, soft-soled boots—held a withered vine dart, swinging it lazily, ready to strike at any moment.

Brian Carter cursed inwardly. These two weren’t easy to deal with; it seemed they’d been tailing him for a while. No wonder he’d felt followed before leaving the city. If it weren’t for the crowds, they probably would’ve made their move already.

“Dignified treatment? In Nanyang, a land of clear skies and justice, yet it’s overrun by a bunch of arrogant scum. You can keep your dignity and give it to your mother!” Brian Carter’s eyes darted around. With a slight force, the soil beneath his feet crumbled. Luckily, the layer of earth underfoot broke into powder—just what he needed.

The cold-faced man’s expression darkened, but his stance didn’t change. He slowly shifted his angle, as if choosing the best position to attack. “Kid, don’t bother hiding it. I know where you’re from. Hmph, overestimating yourself! You dare to meddle in Nanyang’s affairs?”

Brian Carter didn’t reply. He quietly gathered his strength, digging his toes deep into the soil, his feet trembling slightly as if preparing for something. His hands were shaped as if gripping an object.

“Go!”

The young man in black flipped sideways like a giant python, his vine dart swirling into a web as he lunged. The withered vine instantly sprouted countless fresh green branches and tendrils, forming a strange net of leaves and vines that spiraled toward him.

Meanwhile, the cold-faced man suddenly leapt into the air, performing a bizarre aerial maneuver like a hawk diving for a rabbit, swooping straight at him.

Brian Carter’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected the young man to wield a magical weapon too—who knew how skilled he really was? He threw himself backward, sweeping his legs across the ground in rapid succession. A huge cloud of dirt and debris exploded upward, instantly filling the space and transforming in midair into a massive earth dragon, baring its fangs as it lunged. The thick, earthy stench was almost suffocating.

“Ah?! A Chaotic Earth Dragon?!” The cry of surprise was tinged with fear. The young man in black faltered, nearly turning to flee.

“Bullshit!” Seeing his subordinate nearly scared out of his wits by the sudden appearance of the earth dragon, the burly man didn’t have time to explain. He strode forward with a snort, right fist clenched, channeling his inner energy. A flush of red swept across his face as he struck out fiercely. “Break!”